


Forgotten to bleed wither and fall away

by LunaLightEclipse



Category: Bleach
Genre: Bad Parent Kurosaki Isshin, Byakuya makes a great friend, Character Death, Complete, I'm Sorry, Illness, Sorry again, many other people are either mentioned or show up briefly, theres no happy ending, this was gonna be one chapter but it needed more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-16 16:18:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18525136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaLightEclipse/pseuds/LunaLightEclipse
Summary: At first he had believed it impossible for him to ever regret using the Saigo no Getsuga Tensho, now he wished that he had just left Soul Society to fix it's own problems.But now with the metallic liquid making it's way up his throat, the itch in his chest and the ache in his limbs. Perhaps it would have been better if he hadn't come back after Ullquiorra had killed him.Forgotten while he was left alone. Even without anyone telling him he knew he was dying.





	1. Chapter 1

 

**Forgotten to bleed wither and f** **all away**

At first he had believed it impossible for him to ever regret using the Saigo no Getsuga Tensho, now he wished that he had just left Soul Society to fix it's own problems. Maybe Yamamoto would have exerted some more effort. He had saved the lives of his sisters, friends -or at least the people who he had thought were his friends- and the rest of the world who would never even know that they all came so close to the end.

But now with the metallic liquid making it's way up his throat, the itch in his chest and the ache in his limbs. Perhaps it would have been better if he hadn't come back after Ullquiorra had killed him.

_Forgotten_  while he was left alone. Even without anyone telling him he knew he was dying.

-x-

"Kurosaki I know you don't like being powerless, I understand I was at one point to, but you have to accept that you can't stay involved. We got a test soon it would be better for you to go study or something."

_No you don't understand Ishida_  he had wanted to say but he looked at the eyes of his once friends and walked away.

He felt empty. Was this how hollows felt. Hollow?

-x-

Thinking back he knew when the first signs of something wrong had appeared. Two and a half months after he had lost his powers. Originally he had believed that he had just gotten a cough, something normal, human. Perhaps a bad one but still a cough.

Then his chest had begun to itch, his cough got worse. Ichigo, for the first time in his life, had gone to see a doctor.

Never did he speak to his father. All that lied that way was lies and deceit, his trust for the man was long gone.

-x-

"There's nothing wrong with you i'm afraid. Sometimes coughs can get bad enough to cause some pain though, if the pain becomes to uncomfortable have some painkillers. It should go on it's own."

So it was something spiritual after all.

When he thought about it he really couldn't be surprised, he had been born with plenty of reiatsu and now he had none. That must have had some effect on his human body.

-x-

The first time he realized his condition could be fatal had been three months later. Luckily he was on his own, his father out for the weekend and his sisters staying over at one of their friends.

_Friends_ , I have a grand total of none.

So when he began coughing he hadn't tried to hide it. Then he had begun to feel like he was drowning. Going to the bathroom his head had spun, the world blurred and he had broken out in cold sweat. He was still coughing, only this time there was blood.

He had coughed and thrown up blood until he had passed out.

When he awoke he was still alone.

-x-

It was obvious at this point that something had to be done so he decided to try knocking at the Urahara Shoten in hopes of some answers. After all that was what geta-boushi had always done, given the answers or at least clues. Every time he tried though there was either no answer, the shop was closed or they were currently out for supplies.

He went there a lot.

Once before school, just from school and in the evening when he was walking home from wherever he had decided to walk that day. After all Zangetsu was him so it couldn't hurt to go look at some nature after all, sunsets were his favorite.

-x-

But like all deadly medical issues it only got worse. Exactly a month after he had begun knocking at Urahara's he decided to pay a visit to Ishida's father. He requested to see the man only to be denied. He couldn't really complain though.

_"Oi kid, powers or not your still a Vizard. We're always here for our own. Any problems and you can come to us."_  So he did. Late in the evening when the sun had set he went to the warehouse and knocked. The little hope he had noticed build up slipped away at the lack of an answer. Especially when he had heard them shuffling about just a moment before.

He felt more empty than before. He felt  _betrayed_.

Everyday he replaced his third trip to the shoten with going to the Vizard warehouse instead, no one answered though.

-x-

One day he tried going to his friends apartments. First Chad, they had been friends even before all the spiritual stuff had begun after all. He had heard the music stop as he had neared the door. Ichigo never knocked.

He tried Ishida. No answer.

The last place he went to was Orihime's, Ichigo did knock this time but left as he heard Orihime crying.

Another five months passed.

-x-

"He's got to stop! Ichigo's going around to the vizards, here at the shoten, our own apartments, he's even tried going to my father!"

"I'll get my son in line, he's got to accept his life now."

-x-

One day he had come home and his dad had been waiting for him. He hoped, just a little.

"You need to stop bothering everyone Ichigo. Stop trying to get involved in things you have no part in anymore." Isshin walked away before he could say anything.

Ichigo went to his room and wept. This felt like loss. He was well acquainted with the feeling after all.

He was dying and there was nothing he could do about it.

He spent the next month alone, he stopped trying and accepted his fate.

-x-

"Kurosaki." Ichigo had gone out into the forest and found a tree to read under. Here he was out of the way just like everyone wanted. Looking up from his book he looked into familiar slate grey eyes.

"Byakuya." It had been a while since he had heard his own voice, no one spoke to him after all, Ichigo thought to himself that he sounded tired. "What are you doing here?"

"First it's Kuchiki. For the second thing, I had decided to take some time off now everything has settled down and thought that I could look around Karakura. I was ordered to stay out of the way of Kurosaki Ichigo to let him get used to being a normal human again but I've just come looking for a man I owe." Ah the usual Byakuya. Though this time he felt no joy or hope, he had long since drowned in inky despair.

"No one would even know if know if you visited Kurosaki Ichigo anyways." At this Byakuya looked disbelieving. Well with as much emotion as you could find in a Kuchiki anyways.

"I highly doubt that."

"Pfft. I've been out of contact from everyone for five days so far as a test, booked myself a hotel room and watched the people I call friends and family from afar. They haven't even gotten a slight hint noticing i'm even gone. Stopped going to school even."

"You being antisocial. The worlds ending." Yes, yes it was.

"I  _tried_. They don't want me anymore." A little quieter he said to himself,"Even when I truly need help. No one was there." Even though he had mumbled the sentence out Kuchiki had  _somehow_ heard him.

"You need help with something?"

"I'm fine." Don't ask, please don't ask. I don't think I could accept saying it anymore.

"Your obviously not, you look ill." Not even his family had noticed. Not even Yuzu. Yet here's Kuchiki Byakuya and he noticed in a grand total of two minutes.

"I think i'm dying. Actually i'm pretty sure. It's an unexpected side effect of me using the Saigo no Getsuga Tensho while i'm still alive."

Silence fell for the next minute before Byakuya quietly asked,"What makes you think that?"

To that Ichigo pulled out a little cloth that he had been using to soak up all the blood and gestured vaguely towards it,"Been coughing all this up, pretty sure that's not healthy."

"Why don't you tell someone?"

"I  _tried_  Byakuya. I really did."

Instead of walking away like he expected the man to he sat down next to him leaning down against the tree,"What are you reading?" Thank goodness he had gone for a different route to speak about.

"A Shakespeare play. This one's called Macbeth."

Byakuya briefly looked surprised recognizing the name."Shakespeare? Isn't that English? I didn't take you for the play reading sort. I heard that they are good but I can't read English all that well. Speak it, just not read it."

"No one ever does expect me to like this sort of thing. If your going to sit there I could read it out and you could listen. If you don't mind keeping me company that is."

He wasn't expecting him to stay but he did. He stayed and listened to him. He didn't even say anything when he stopped to breathe for a minute.

For the first time in a year the world hurt a little less.

-x-

"Do you have enough space in your hotel room for another person?"

"Yeah I like some room so I got a larger one. The two beds are in the same room though. Why?"

"I'm here for the week and I don't like staying with Urahara Kisuke."

So Byakuya stayed. Ichigo found that he liked his company. He was tidy and quiet. When Ichigo woke up half screaming he didn't complain. Instead he got up, made some tea and come sat by his side until he had calmed down enough to try and go back to sleep.

Unexpectedly Kuchiki Byakuya made great company to have.

-x-

This hadn't happened in a while which was great but it also meant he should have been expecting it. For the past five minutes he had been coughing up blood until he vomited except for the fact that he had been forced to lay down as soon his muscles had begun to cramp and it would not  _stop_.

"Kurosaki." He could hear foot steps coming over into his direction which he was glad for because he just wanted to go to sleep but he was not going to sleep on the floor. "Kurosaki, are you alright? Why are you on the floor?"

His lungs and throat  _hurt_  but this person who was not even one of his friends had been kind enough to stick around all week and look after his sick self so he forced himself to answer,"Cramp. Bad cramp. Tired too."

Gracefully (because Byakuya could not be anything but graceful) he knelt down and slowly picked him up, brought him to his bed and pulled up his covers. (Tucked in by someone who had tried to kill him. How embarrassing).

"Get some sleep, even if you were in good health your mental state is not aiding your nightly rest. I am going to see if I can talk to someone without them shutting me up or straight up ignoring what i'm saying. Hopefully Unohana will listen."

"Now?" He hated how broken his own voice sounded but he finally had some company and he didn't want it to go. Not while he hurt so much.

"I can stay for a little longer."

-x-

Never did he Kuchiki Byakuya ever expect to see Kurosaki Ichigo sat alone, reading and looking like someone had just died. Kurosaki Ichigo did not sit there and say how no one had even noticed he was missing. Kurosaki Ichigo did not laugh about the fact that he was  _dying_.

Originally he had felt concerned about the boy and it had begun to bother him enough that he had gone to assure himself that he was indeed going mad because there was never any need to be worried about Kurosaki Ichigo.

Though when he had eventually found the boy looking pale despite being sat in the sun and clothes that he knew were once tight had become loose and baggy, Kurosaki was wearing a jumper, coat and a scarf despite the fact it was not even cold and his hair was noticeably in need of both a wash and a trim. Even his signature scowl had gone.

His concern  _increasing_  he had gone to speak with him and had somehow ended up sitting with the boy and listening to him read. Normally he would never but how could he not after looking into Kurosaki's eyes, he had never seen him look so lost and desperate for someone to just sit there.

By the look on his face he hadn't expected him to.

For some reason he asked to stay for a week.

-x-

When he had first seen Kurosaki have a coughing fit he had almost panicked, he had only ever seen Ukitake like this. When the blood started appearing he had panicked and had tried kaido without even thinking. Thankfully this actually seemed to at least sooth some of the pain. Kaido would not work well on Kurosaki due to the fact that it worked on the patients own reiatsu and Kurosaki just didn't have any.

-x-

"Why did you come here?"

"I felt concerned, my gut feeling has a habit of being correct."

"What you came here to see me?" Kurosaki said somewhat disbelieving.

"Yes." Why did he admit to it?

"Wait seriously?"

"Yes."

Out of all the ways he expected Kurosaki to react _crying_  was not one of them. It wasn't loud or annoying he just sort of stared at him blankly making broken noises.

"K-Kurosaki! Why are you crying!?"

"But no one wants me..." Was he angry? He actually felt angry. Why? Perhaps it was because the boy had given up  _everything_  for his family can comrades and had received  _nothing_  but a slow, painful and lonely death.

He would swear for the rest of eternity that he did not  _hug_  Kurosaki and Kurosaki would swear that he did not cling like a child afraid of the dark.

How  _dare_ they abandon him once his use ran out and leave him fumbling around trying to find out what the hell was wrong with him.

-x-

He did have to go though but he had seen the quickly draining money and how much Kurosaki was struggling to hold a job in this weakened state so he had gone looking for a nice apartment and bought it. Not like he wanted to leave his gigai with a shady shopkeeper after all.

"Wait so I can stay here? For free?"

"Like I said I owe you."

"You even carried my bag's for me... Your being strangely nice to me it's confusing."

"Please just accept it and let me leave. I have a job."

"Yeah sure. Thanks."

-x-

When he next saw Byakuya he knew that he'd been unsuccessful. "Hey Byakuya."

"It's Ku- You know what I know your not going to stop. Byakuya's fine."

"Ha! Finally broke you down!"

"Laugh it out."

"So they didn't wan't anything to do with me."

"Shut me down the second they realized what I wanted to say."

"Ah, that's fine I guess. You've done more than anyone else has."

And wasn't that just sad.

-x-

"Ichigo, how does one use this strange drinking contraption?"

"Pwahahahahaha!"

"What is so funny?"

"I thought it was just Rukia but I guess the juice carton struggles is a Kuchiki thing. Here pass."

-x-

For once Ichigo was sleeping peacefully. It had been a long time. Brushing his bright hair from his face he placed the damp towel on Ichigo's forehead. In this peaceful sleep the scowl was gone along with any hints of sadness. Byakuya decided that he liked the peaceful Ichigo even with the bright flush across his pale face.

-x-

"Kuchiki-taicho, I don't know what your recent fascination with Kurosaki is but it's got to stop. Don't bring him up again." He had decided to try bringing the issue up in hopes that  _someone_  would listen to him but to no avail. Not that he had expected it.

It have been eight months since he had stayed with Ichigo and he had visited frequently since then. Though he had to visit daily most recently. Both of them were aware of the lack of time he had left. You could almost hear the sand slipping through the timer. So little left.

Pointedly he walked  _calmly_  towards the door and left the captains meeting before it ended. Once he was out of the room he shut the door and shunpoed at speeds nearing teleportation to the Kuchiki senkaimon.

Oh god i'm in so much trouble. He had just left a captains meeting before it was dismissed. Just waltzed right on out.

"Oh hey Byakuya." Ichigo sounded so tired. He was afraid of how long his friend had left.

"I just walked out of a captains meeting like it was no big deal. Dear god what did I just do."

"I'm having an effect." Ichigo laughed and the sound was so nice. He really had to stop liking people. They had a habit of dying.

"Yes, yes you are. You bad Kurosaki."

From his bed Ichigo laughed.

-x-

Ichigo hated being bedridden but he could not do anything about it. Where once it was painful for him to walk it had now become impossible. His legs far to weak to carry him.

He hated it.

To fix the lack of nature inside of the bedroom Byakuya had gone and bought him a bonsai tree.

If you had asked him two years ago if he had expected to be bedridden with Byakuya as his  _only_  friend and contact he would have looked at you as if you were mad for even suggesting it.

Ichigo had never expected to see Byakuya smile. He should do it more often.

-x-

He should have known that Yamamoto wouldn't be happy with his sudden week long leave without saying anything. Not that he had been expecting multiple captains and lieutenants.

Urahara, Ukitake, Kyoraku, Rukia and Renji. They had underestimated one captain and it seems like he wasn't willing to do it again.

"It doesn't hurt as much right now." Ichigo was looking directly into his eyes though if he actually saw him or not he did not know, his brown eyes were glazed and the flush of fever was still present on his face.

Neither of them had wanted to say it but they knew this problem was soul deep. Ichigo would not be rejoining the reincarnation cycle. Byakuya wasn't even sure if Ichigo noticed that he was not in his body right now. Neither of them were.

Gently he rested his hand over the short chain and eased whatever pain there was left.

He had left the windows open so it wouldn't be very hard for them to get in.

"Nii-sama! What are you- Ichigo!?"

"Oh dear, what seems to be going on here?"

Kyoraku entered the room last, seeing Ichigo's bloody body and the spirit that layed with his head on Byakuya's lap he tipped his sakkat down guessing what had happened.

When he looked up at the group of shinigami he raised a finger to his lips to keep them quiet.

"Byakuya 'm tired."

"Go to sleep then. No ones stopping you."

"Yeah, i'm gonna do that."

Ichigo closed his eyes and he begun to dissipate into small pieces of reishi which disappeared into the air.

"Oh poor boy." Of course Ukitake always felt bad,"He didn't deserve this."

"Taicho... How long had Kurosaki been ill for?"

"Since he lost his powers." When he said this Rukia slowly slid to the ground, her hand clenched in Renji's hakama.

"Ah so that's why he was so insistent."

"I tried, I really did. That was what he said to me when I asked him why he hadn't told anyone. I didn't understand until I tried myself." He was shocked at the amount of venom he found within his own voice but didn't stop it because he found that he was angry. Angry that he had been abandoned, that if he hadn't come to Karakura on a gut feeling that Ichigo would have died sad and alone.

To that no one had anything to say.

Only when Byakuya was in the comfort and privacy of his own home would he allow himself to mourn his friend.

* * *

**Fun fact- Macbeth is the** _**only** _ **Shakespeare play I like. Not that I have learnt the story of many but this is the only one that's ever even slightly stuck.**

**I was originally going to end this with someone finding Byakuya taking care of Ichigo and the panic of Ichigo being ill lighting a fire under Urahara's ass to hurry up but then I was like, no. So Ichigo's dead. Like dead dead. Sorry.**

**Hope you enjoyed, please leave a review. -Luna.**


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Forgotten to bleed wither and fall away**

**this was originally only going to be one chapter but then I realized that there was a few things I wanted to add. I'm sure you'll enjoy watching people understand just what they have done.**

**Ultimate Trogan- Glad you enjoyed it. I do like being unexpected, in a good way. I just liked the idea of everyone wanting to help him but in a way they are also condemning him to isolation and death.**

**Guest- Thank you.**

* * *

_Chapter 2,_

Sitting in his cluttered lab he thought over his biggest mistake. It was not the vizards or Aizen, it was leaving Ichigo.  _Abandoning him_. He wasn't even here to apologize to, removed from the reincarnation cycle forever.

Never would Ichigo learn about his quincy mother or watch his sisters grow up. They hadn't even thought something was wrong when he had stopped showing up to school. They had just believed that he needed time away from them all.

In the corner of the room a blue sword of reishi crackled.

-x-

They had told him that they would always be there for him and when he had come knocking they had ignored him. The vizards had broke their promise and had been left to think about the one that they had lost.

"Heh, in the end it had been someone from soul society that had been there for him."

Though the statement was not wrong he could not help but disagree with it. "In the end it was a friend that had been there for him."

-x-

In worry of Kuchiki's mental state Unohana-taicho had been ordered to keep an eye on him. When Rukia had been called up by her she had been afraid of what was going on. To help alleviate some of this panic Renji had come with her to the forth division.

"Unohana-taicho you wanted to see me?"

Looking round the gentle captain came up to them and spoke quietly as to prevent anyone from listening in,"Yes I was wondering if you had seen Kuchiki-taicho anywhere?"

"No, i'm afraid not. He's not in the Kuchiki manor. We will go look for him."

"Thank you."

Looking up to her usually loud companion they both knew where they was going, with grim faces they headed to the living world.

When they got there they could sense nii-sama's location immediately and went straight there. The apartment that Ichigo had been living in-an expensive looking one- was clean and tidy. They also noticed that all the floors were wooden and any furniture that could stain had been covered in a blanket. A perfect place for someone who had been hacking up blood to be living in.

The large windows that took up the one of the walls in the sitting room faced out over Karakura the starry sky currently in view, on the balcony were pots with flowers and other small plants. There were a few paintings on the wall that seemed to be in Byakuya's style of painting (a great artist when he decided to make something).

Overall the simple home was not how she would expect Ichigo to live.

What caught their attention were the stacks of books piled in the corner. Some were human medical books, ways to relieve pain, get rid of cramp, ease breathing for those that stuggle to do so, ways to prevent dizziness and fainting, what to do when you have sensitive skin. The list went on. Others were books that she knew either belonged in the Kuchiki library, to Unohana or to the Seireitei library. Kido healing for patients with low reiatsu and the such.

"Did taicho read all of these to try and help him?" Renji asked in surprise and she couldn't blame him, she was surprised too. There had to be a good hundred books.

But then, she remembered when Ichigo's spirit had disappeared and nii-sama had gone over to his body and carefully wiped the blood from his face, gently tugged his clothes straight and picked him up.

Rukia thought of how careful he was to make sure his head didn't hit the door as they walked out and made their way to the Kurosaki household, even though there was no one in the body to feel pain.

Thinking of that she was no longer surprised and she wondered what had happened during the time that he had been ill for.

In the kitchen were plastic cups with straws, light and easy to hold. In there it was spotless, they moved onto the next room. The bathroom was also just as spotless, a stool was sat next to the bath. They find a empty room and a bedroom that obviously belonged to Byakuya.

The last door they went to was the other bedroom. Light filtered through the small gap, pushing the door open they walked in.

There was a window with half open curtains. The one nearest the top end of the bed was embroidered with flowers, at the end of that bed was a table with a bonsai tree on it. There was a side table with a lamp and a pencil that was so small it had to be hard to hold. Littered over the bed were books of plays she recognized from Ichigo's shelf. The sheets and pillow cases were plain and probably changed often.

On the floor Byakuya sat rested against the bed, the wooden frame digging into his back, his head hung forward in a way that must have hurt his neck and by the soft breathing and closed eyes he appeared to be asleep. His knee's were pulled up to his chest. In that gap his arms were wrapped around what appeared to be a notebook.

They gently slid it from his grasp and looked inside.

_Dear Byakuya,_

_I wanted to thank you for looking after me while I have been in such a poor state, I hate that I have caused you to worry. I have noticed the growing pile of books in the corner and would bet that there are more that I just could not see._

_If your reading this then your probably going through my stuff which means that I have died. I know that you have lost a lot of people so I hope that my death does not cause you too much upset._

_If you become depressed I give Rukia full permission for a couple of free punches to the face (Please don't do too much damage)._

_I know you realize this but if it were not for you paying for my accommodations I would not know where I would have stayed. I am writing this is because I am afraid that I will not be able to do so soon, not when it has become a struggle to lift my hand high enough to turn a page and I don't think that I will get a chance to tell you with my fever caused delirium._

_When I had first realized that I would die I was afraid that I would be alone, I had not expected anyone to visit me never mind you but I am glad you did. I may have only had one friend but it was the best friend I could have ever asked for. Thank you Byakuya, for everything._

_Ichigo._

_P.S - I'm not aware if you have noticed but you called me by my first name. I have won._

"Oh, oh. Nii-sama..."

"Shit."

Just from the letter they had gotten a clue on what had happened now they felt as if they were intruding. The two had made a peaceful home for Ichigo to stay in, away from those who wanted nothing to do with them.

Placing the notebook back where it had been before the two left silently. Unohana had understood why and was just pleased to know where he was.

-x-

Not often did Ishida arrive to class late. But this time he had been hours late, the day almost over and no one had contacted the school to tell them where he was. Or the other kids for that matter that had also walked in with him.

She felt a small spike of fear at the student that was missing and had been for a year, at the group of solemn people that were Kurosaki's friends. Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, Sado, Orihime and Uryuu. Fear worsened by the vase of flowers held in Orihime's hands.

Ishida walked up to her a bowed from the sound of his voice he had been crying,"We appologise for our lateness, we regret to inform you that Kurosaki Ichigo had died due to illness two weeks ago. His funeral was held this morning."

To that the class fell silent. What could they say.

Placed on his desk were a vase of flowers as bright as the young mans hair.

-x-

"Hello Kuchiki-taicho, this situation seems to have caused you some distress so you will have to visit me a couple of times."

"Understood."

"I would like to start with asking what has caused such a change in heart with Kurosaki-san."

Kuchiki's gaze which had been focused on the floor looked up to hers tiredly but with anger,"When you have helped someone bath because they can not reach their own shoulders, helped wash and trim their hair, helped them dress, sat there for hours knowing your the only person who would give them their time of day, when you have carried them to their bed, cleaned their blood from the floor and spent hours,  _days_ looking after them, you tend to see them in a different way."

Kuchiki Byakuya had been there for Kurosaki when they had not and that was what hurt the most.

-x-

Now knowing the importance of his own little sister he couldn't help but think of the two young Kurosaki's.

He had let Rukia walk in the house first, she had been there before and might be able to lessen the blow to the two girls.

"Rukia! We haven't seen you in ages! Hey do you know where nii-san is? The last time we saw him was like... a year ago!"

"I'm sorry Yuzu, i'm so very sorry."

"Rukia, where's Ichi-nii?"

He thought that now would be the best time to walk in, he didn't want to drag this out after all. When he had entered he schooled his face into it's usual Kuchiki mask. Ichigo's sisters were not fools. When they saw the too still from in his arms they practically collapsed onto the floor. The fact that his spirit was not also there caused them to cry in understanding.

Byakuya hated that he had to leave his friends body there, with the man that could not be called a father. With the one who had betrayed him long before Ichigo had ever learnt of shinigami and hollows.

He walked out promising to Ichigo to watch over his sisters in his place.

-x-

Isshin once believed he had children, Kuchiki Byakuya had taken them away from him, said that they were not safe, that he was not protecting them.

He only wanted to train them up so they wouldn't be killed by the quincy.

Now he hasn't heard from them since, though he knew where they lived, Kuchiki's barriers locked him out and no one ever opened the door to him.

Isshin once believe he had two children. The boy named Ichigo had died with Masaki. The person he had watched grow was not his son.

-x-

"Hey Ichigo, I came to visit during sunset. That's your favorite time of day after all. Yuzu's becoming a famous chef I hear. You know there was another war..."

He sat down on the floor and picked the weeds from his grave. He looked at the pictures sat there, Byakuya had contributed one of his own. It's a picture of them sat in one of the parks during the summer when Ichigo had still been well enough to go out. Byakuya has ice cream on his nose and his eyes are crossed, Ichigo is laughing at him. his smile is bright. The the original image is sat in his pocket.

"Rukia's the new captain for the thirteenth and Kyoraku is actually good at being the Soutaicho. I would have come sooner but this was lasted so long. They were thinking about dragging your sisters into it so I brought them to our apartment. They have been safe there behind the barriers though your room remains untouched. Instead mine has been taken over."

For once he allowed himself to cry.

"Rukia actually punched me, I have now learnt not to piss her off. It ends terribly. I believe the rest of your friends are doing fine too. I got injured and have been taken out of the gotei," His head too silent. He couldn't remember what it had been like before Senbonzakura, he wonders how Ichigo stayed sane through it all. "Abarai has taken my place. Kurostuchi is finally gone... then again so is many people. Urahara has locked himself away at the loss of Yoruichi and Tessai. I left Rukia as the clan head and took up looking after your sisters instead. They miss you. When you died Kenpachi actually looked sad, along with that blue haired arrancar. How you make friends with people like them I will never know."

The sun disappeared below the horizon and the stars became visible.

"Oh I knew I was forgetting something! Turns out your mother Masaki was a quincy, Yuzu's been getting lessons from Ishida. I'll come by tomorrow if I can."

He walked away to the place that had become his home. He didn't want to miss dinner after all.

* * *

**This needed a more solid end, here it is. For the last part I wanted to add after the quincy war. This time it was years long. Enough for Karin and Yuzu to have left school. Rukia captains 13th, Renji is captain for 6th. Yoruichi and Tessai are dead and so are the children. Byakuya pointedly kept Ichigo's friends and family in the living world. Many other people also died.**

**If your wondering about the flower thing in the classroom part it's something that happens in japan. If a student dies a vase of flowers is left on their desk. If a vase of flowers is placed there while the person is still alive it is a form of bullying, they are saying that they wish that the person was dead.**

**I really enjoyed writing this even though it was sad and I hope you like it.**

**Please leave a review I'm interested in what you think- Luna**


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